they had gone sailing with him. president clinton would tell people how angry and frustrated he was that he had done so much for the kennedy family as president and they were drifting towards obama. hillary and bill clinton have incredible political support in massachusetts, and one of the satisfying moments for them on super tuesday was despite the fact that senator kennedy had endorsed barack obama, hillary was able to win massachusetts. some of her field operatives in massachusetts and new hampshire are now, as i understand, working for the democratic nominee there. they probably should have been there a little sooner. most people watching the race closely believe that their involvement is being done at the last minute, very quickly, and may be too little, too late, if i may use a cliche on c-span. host: steve on the republican line. caller: i'm wondering if you could talk about mitt romney, the conflict between his public image and private conduct. and also mike huckabee.

thanks. guest: for a variety of reasons, we did not spend as much time on the republican race, because it lacked the drama. but there are some things on it romney could to the specific question, there is one of very striking example of the striking public image and private reality and the kiss of romney. mitt romney's public image, if anything, was defined as a competent ceo character. he was an arch catalyst and had run -- arch-capitalist and had run bain capital. he could run government like running a board room. throughout our coverage in the book of romney was the fact that the staff was totally frustrated that he was totally indecisive. he could not decide on something as elemental as picking a campaign slogan.

they never came up with a campaign slogan. the consultant side of him actually dominated in some ways. he would ask for more and more input and constantly take more and more time and wanted more and more data, and the deluge of data that he sought actually cut paralyzed and 34 people around him, -- actually kind of paralyzed him. for people around him, the worse died. -- they were stunned. we have details of how much john mccain, how much mike huckabee and others disliked commit money to he was sort of a preening -- this like to make romney. he was sort of eigha preening prima donna. they would malkin behind his back, and that he would rocked -- would mock him behind his

back, and he would walk into the room and it would be kind of a hushed. host: could you tell us about the difference between rudy giuliani on the campaign trail and in private? guest: the book is about politics and the sense that we write about presidential candidates and their spouses, but our goal was to write about the personalities and the high human drama. we knew all the time that we had an interesting set of characters. pretty giuliani is the seventh--- we knew we had an interesting set of characters went rudy giuliani was the seventh-the most interesting candidate. a clean up new york city and stood up to terrorists after 9/11. but on the campaign trail, he was not a tiger, but a pussycat. when he was shown at negative ads point out against him, he would laugh at them and said that all of those were silly.

in debates, when he was challenged by opponents, he laughed. he never showed the toughness and hunger to win. rinceau counter to his image. -- it ran so counter to his image. his inability to define himself and reinforce his greatest strengths, the image of being tough, was a big part of his downfall. the person who knew him best in the old, was john mccain. they had been friends since back when rudy giuliani was mayor. when mccain was starting to fall, he was never worried about rudy giuliani. he said rudy is rudy. the things required to get the nomination were not inside him. host: thank you so much. that is it for today's

"washington journal." we go to the pentagon where we are expecting an update on haiti. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] . [no audio].

>> we are expecting a video link from the unified task force in haiti. the pentagon is having a problem with the signal from haiti. we will have this news conference live want to get under way. "the new york times"report that the united nations is agreeing to send an additional 3500 soldiers and police officers to haiti. we will have the news conference live until it starts today as election day in massachusetts pretty special senatorial election. spoke to a reporter on this morning's "washington journal per-quo ♪ c." all eyes on bay state ballot. what is the turnout strategy for both candidates today? guest: i think on the democratic side, martha coakley's supporters -- democrats tend to

have an evanish on the ground on election day because they outnumber republicans but they are trying to stop this surge of brown that sort of dominated the race recent days. i think the turnout is going to be quite high. the secretary -- secretary of state says it should mirror a general election turnout. host: what is each candidate doing specifically to get out the vote? what do their turnout machines look like? guest: the democrats always have the advantage. a lot are from out of state on both sides -- the usual blocking and tackling, making phone calls to people you think will vote for your candidate and make sure you get to the polls. it is not rocket science. host: how are these two candidates spending their last day, the last 24 hours before people go to the polls today? guest: mostly in rally mode.

trying to travel as much through the state as possible, organizing events to get their supporters jazzed up to go to work today and make phone calls and get their supporters out. it is the usual, really. but it is just a lot of energy here, a sense that there is something important and the stakes are very high. host: what is the congressional delegation doing on both sides of the aisle? guest: we only have democrats and the congress here in massachusetts, because they are all working for coakley. host: water dadoing specifically? guest: i think a lot have lent their support to her candidacy and trying to get the workers to come out. only one of them supported her in the primary, all the rest supported the congressman -- he was the candidate for the congressional delegation and the primary, but the democrats have

pretty much fallen and line here in the general. host: what about outside influence? you touched on a little bit -- on the republican side? guest: there has been a sense that this is an opportunity to strike a blow against president obama's agenda, and scott brown declared he would be the 41st vote in the senate to kill the jerez carol -- health care bill by a filibuster. they are sort of a aroused did they send money. a lot of people have come in from out of state on both sides really, but for republicans, very unusual. people spent the weekend here, came in from nearby states. there was a busload from michigan apparently that came in over the weekend, too. and democrats have sent out a call -- massachusetts generally exports field operatives for democrats on election days --

new hampshire primary, places like that, but it is working in reverse now and they have been called in. host: what about money? you have an estimate, ball park figure on how much money has come into the state from outside sources as well as how much of these candidates have raised and spent? host: many organizations on both sides -- guest: many organizations have lined up to pay for television ads, mainly negative. the estimate was 5 million, it is probably higher. there are television ads wall- to-wall and have been four days. billboards, even newspaper ads, which is something different -- radio ads. direct mail. just every voter in the state has been touched. the country is playing here in massachusetts, the only game in town. host: going forward, what

happens with whomever is elected, when did they come to the senate here in washington? guest: there is some talk -- the secretary state says there will take 10 days to certify the results. the senate decides exactly when -- actually when members are seated. if it wanted to, it could exceed the winner shortly, in the next few days. there is a lot of talk that the democrats would try to devise a strategy in the event brown wins, to enact a health care before he takes the seat. there is a tremendous reaction to that, and we >> back live to the pentagon here on c-span, waiting to hear from u.s. army general daniel kellen of the joint task force

in haiti. waiting to get an update from general allan. there's a problem with the video signal from haiti if they get that taken care of. )lda look at some of our older program coming up for the u.s. house is coming back for business today. morning speeches at 12:30 eastern. 10 bills will be considered including one honoring catholic schools3 . tomorrow and the house, they expect a measure allowing charitable donations for haiti to be written off on 2009 taxes. that is expected to mark. the houses live appearance he spent a white house spokesman robert gibbs has a press conference at 12:30 eastern. coming up on c-span 2, a syndicated columnist charles krauthammer discusses president

barack obama's first year in office. today's election day in massachusetts for the polls are open and we will have coverage of the results tonight including victory and concession speeches. that will be on c-span 2. d conversation this morning and on "." "washington journal." democrats in massachusetts about what happened in 2002 and how it ties to today. if you recall, released september of 2002, a propaganda blitz by the republican party began to invade iraq. remember that?

only a month later, the congress of the united states voted to allow president bush to invade and occupy iraq. we now are in a second phase of the gop propaganda blitz, and it is even worse this time. this time the folks in massachusetts are the target. i'm a texan, i'm a democrat from texas, a state where we don't have a single democratic statewide official, which is directly opposite massachusetts. if you vote against the democratic candidate today, you will be joining the republicans in their attempt to bring down in their attempt to bring down this obama@@@@@@$v

would come to an end parade of senate democrats failedg1ñ in massachusetts debate lose their to push through legislation. that means olympia snowe and susan collins would become two of the most powerful people on capitol hill. the republican line, good morning. caller: i would have to say that this election is somewhat like the shot heard round the world. this is the first election where the american populace and vettersw4÷ will say no to the oa

and socialism machine. rvwi just watched with curiosit. i just hope that for the democrats who don't think they can finagle some way to a impugn this election or stall the installation of mr. brown if he gets elected. that will only look worse on them in 2010. i encourage all the independent voters in the state of massachusetts to stand up for liberty and capitalism and say no. obviously, they are. look at the poll numbers. the voters of massachusetts are not a bunch of slouches. they know what is going on. they are obviously on the side of liberty and i commend them and i encourage them to vote for brown. host: did you contribute to

state senator scott brown? caller: financially but i did sign up and do some volunteer phone calls. that was just what i could do. host: what group approached you to do the volunteer work? caller: i reached out. host: who did you call? caller: numbers of people in massachusetts. host: what did you hear from the people you called? caller: typical responses they hear my southern accent and i know that you're calling from out of state. they were very courteous and nice and said that they have a handle on it and they are watching what is going on. that is why i have faith in them. and the cradle of liberty up that way.

host: do you know of the people you call or republicans are mostly independents? caller: i did not go for party identification. i was just happy that they listened to what i had to say. i left it at that. host: northampton, mass., on the democratic line, will you vote for martha: with this morning? caller: yes, i am. every good democrat needs to get behind her and get the boat out there. do not allow massachusetts to have a republican representative in the ted kennedy seat. that is just a travesty host: what you think martha coakley lost the lead she had committed to this race? caller: i was all round the state this weekend. it seemed like all you heard, especially the radio, was scott

brown adds. everything was him all weekend. what helped was that we had thought for so long -- three weeks ago, she had a 40% lead over the man. nobody expected this seeks to go republican. nobody really in massachusetts thought that scott brown had a chance. i would like to say to the people in massachusetts that if we put scott brown in, you are telling people that we are giving away a woman's right to choose. everybody remember this in massachusetts when you vote today. this vote is really important. we need to keep the democrat in so we could get our health care. host: all right, independence may settle the massachusetts rates today. despite the state's blue reputation, more than half of massachusetts voter comes 2.1

million people, are not affiliated with a political party. democrats outnumber republicans by a three-one ratio among independents, state senator brown is leading 65%-35%. texas, on the independent line. caller: i do not like the republicans or the democrats any more. i am old man. i remember back before we have all this backbiting. what i think about the massachusetts election is that this is a repudiation of the communist agenda of barack obama and the democratic party. i think it is a really good thing that america is waking up. that they are saying through this because of the tyrannical dictatorships, the way that

nancy pelosi and harry reid are trying to push this through against the will of the american people. if mr. brown loses the election, this jamming the health care down the throats of the american people is nothing compared to what they are going to do. they will find some crisis, some way, that they will continue to keep the power and before we know it, we will have a hammer and sickle for a flag over the white house. host: san francisco, good morning. caller: good morning. it is a wonderful morning when we can have massachusetts, a historical stake, help us, the american people, to fight what we see here. we have been so betrayed, we feel. this nation is in a mess. we all remember what happened when we went into this financial crisis. we know that president clinton put out a law which changed

what existed in the banking system. then he put in larry summers to deregulate everything. that is when our country's banks started to go down because there were forced to give loans. the menu at on yesterday indicated that the bankers -- the man you have done yesterday indicated that the bankers were pressured to give loans. we know that barney frank participated in this. we think the kind of betrayal, when we keep hearing everything about president bush being to blame, we know there is no change. there is corruption in our government and we need massachusetts, the people who gave us the boston tea party, the people who are standing up for themselves, we need them to vote the correct way, to get rid and change the people who are in there. if the next group does the same thing, we'll change them. we thank you very much for the show.

host: the caller mentioned at the boston tea party. in " the houston chronicle," the note this is where the boston tea party took place new england patriots rebelled against high taxes 235 years ago. a new generation of tea party patriots hopes to dump candidates. it is a symbolic thing. they list that tend reasons why the seat held by the late senator ted kennedy matters. democratic line, good morning. caller: i am wondering if the so-called tea party cares so much about physical possibilities. i was wondering where they were with the republicans and bush, afghanistan and the a wreck or that we do not need, that has

caused the trillion dollars that my children and grandchildren are forced to pay for. president obama came to power and the republicans say they wanted to see him fail. i was wondering if the american people forgot what happened last year. host: ballston, independent, how will you vote? caller: i am voting for scott brown. i feel we have to do this as on enrolled as they call us. this will be the shot heard round the world one more time for massachusetts. i am so proud to be from massachusetts because we have been the laughingstock with the matter of democrats that we have brought to congress and for

our own legislatures. is about time we stand up and say we don't want to have a democratic kennedy secret this is the people's seat. because we have been taken for credit for some years in this state, i believe that finally, the people have said enough of this. we need to go forward. forward means we have to change. i hate that terminology because both our governor and president ran on it and both have failed this state. and the country miserably. please, if you are un enrolled, what ever denomination, please go out and vote today and make sure that massachusetts, one more time, leads the country. host: have you voted for republicans in the past?

caller: i am proud to say i was old enough to vote for ed brook, he was a marvelous senator, a republican, and i will be so proud to do it one more time. host: since then, have you voted democrat? caller: by both the person. that is why i am un enrolled. host: did you vote for the late senator ted kennedy? caller: know, voted his brother ted kennedy did a lot for this state. i am appreciative to him and his family. i have a division with his politics for many years. i thank the kennedy family for their service but i think at this juncture, we have to go in a new direction. we have been the laughingstock of the country for too many times. they laugh and say we are so

democratic, which we are. finally, the voters of massachusetts can make a loud, clear statement, not just here, but in our country. i urge everyone -- i am an older woman. it is snowing. i ate walking outside but if i have to crawl to the polls, i will vote for scott brown and urged everyone that is listening from massachusetts to do the same host: what is the weather forecast for today there? caller: it is snow showers which to us, after a bad ice storm yesterday, is not going to be much of an impact. it might hurt the older citizens. i am included in that category. i believe we have to make a statement and i do believe the voters will come out. there are predictions that it will be a heavy bout. there should be a large turnout. i hope that is the case. it is really a statement of what

has gone on in our country. i am only a second generation from one side of my parents and a first generation on the other side. i was taught to love this country. i still get a lump in my throat when i hear the national anthem. i still love to watch the red, white, and blue flag. it lies very beautifully and the wind. people need to understand that we cannot be stepped on host: knoxville, north carolina, go ahead caller: i do not think that mark coakley ran a bad campaign. i think the americans are finally saying to -- or are only starting to wake up to the socialist agenda of this and illustration. i don't think anyone in their right mind wants to see the president fail no matter what

affiliation. but when you were doing things behind closed doors, when cspan and we were promised that cspan would cover the health care debates and the inner workings and ended up being behind closed doors, they are giving certain states and certain senators million-dollar bribes, $300 million bribes and the real kick in the teeth was the union getting a tax break for five years. i am glad to hear there are so many americans starting to wake up and thank god for that. host: the 10 reasons why the special election matters -- it could get a jump-start to gop recording efforts in other states. there was a superb recruiting effort in 1994 that created a big push. if scott brown can win massachusetts, gop members in

the house probably have candidates lining up outside their offices. democrats' line, good morning. caller: can you hear me? host: yes, we can. caller: i'm calling from newton, mass. and i wanted to say that i am a strong supporter for martha clean. when i hear republicans -- bob >> we will take you live to the pentagon for a briefing with general daniel allen ied relief efforts. >> general allen currently is the tibet -- deputy commander of the joint task force unified response and previous to assuming this position down in haiti, general allan was the deputy commanding general for

the 18th airborne corps in fort bragg. and the opening, as you like to make? >> thanks a lot and good morning ladies and gentlemen and banks for the opportunity to join you today and update you on efforts under way by the international community here in haiti. i know you join me in extending our condolences to the haitian people. our hearts and our prayers continue to be with the haitian citizens during this tragic time. all of us in haiti and across the globe, partner in this recovery effort, share the common passion and commitment to do all we can to help the government of haiti and the haitian people recover from this tragedy. we are employing all their resources as fast as we can and we continue to make progress

here everyday. we do not underestimate the scope of the challenge in front of us. we are here at the request of the government of haiti and we are working in partnership with the united nations and the international community. we enjoyed incredible team work and support with and for all contributing parties and the people of haiti. as i stated -- we are making progress daily and building our capacity to deliver more each day to those most in need a pair key developments today and on the immediate horizon -- the 22nd marine expeditionary unit from camp lejeune, n.c., has arrived and will move about 800 marines ashore beginning today to support communities west of port-au-prince that greatly need assistance. the second brigade combat team

of the 82nd airborne division, nearly 1000-strong, continue to flow into the country to support relief efforts in the vicinity of port-au-prince. the hospital ship, the united states naval ship comfort, will arrive off shore tomorrow morning, increasing medical support available to the people of haiti. in addition, yesterday afternoon, the united states air force c-17 aircraft flew nonstop from pope aircraft based in north carolina and delivered 15,000 meals andlhs over 15,000 liters of water to citizens in northeast port-au-prince. this aerial delivery of medstar ongoing relief efforts and continues to extend our reach to the stricken. we currently have over 2000 boots on the ground and over 5000 afloat and we anticipate we will have an aggregate strength

of over 10,000 within the coming weeks. , with about 50% of those forces directly involved in delivering humanitarian assistance a short perioashore. we have delivered over 400,000 bottles of water and 300,000 rations to the people of haiti in the past six days. within the next several days, we will have more than a dozen water purification units, producing water, for humanitarian assistance needs across haiti. our ships supporting the 22nd marine expeditionary unit are producing 40,000 gallons of water per day for distribution in support of humanitarian assistance efforts. within days, we will approach a self-sustaining water production capacity.

additionally, in south-central 80, we delivered approximately 400,000 pounds of food and water by air to the stricken community of jaqnel. which provided helicopter support to u.s. aid and the world food program to complete this critical distribution. the security situation in haiti remains relatively calm. distribution points remain orderly throughout our humanitarian assistance efforts and feedback from the people of haiti has been positive. the u.n. security forces continue to address the emerging security requirements with great agility and responsiveness. general peshoto is employing his forces to maintain a secure environment that enables us to keep our primary focus on humanitarian assistance distribution. medical relief capacity

continues to grow with the arrival of several international field hospitals and surgical teams. currently, portable hospitals from five nations are supporting our efforts on the ground in the port-au-prince area our medical capability will continue to expand with the arrival of the hospital ship comfort. overall, we are making steady progress. we have a lot more work ahead of us. with an international an interagency team that gets stronger every day. thanks for the opportunity to provide opening up dates and i welcome your questions. >> could you explain why it took almost a week to organize the c- 17 airdrop that you mentioned yesterday? why did they not do this sooner? >> obviously, the aerial

delivery of supplies is a capability that has been part of our arsenal from the outset. the fact is, it takes forces on the ground to secure the areas where these drops must go in and organize the people to avoid a chaotic distribution when those supplies comment. we needed to wait until we had adequate force is to enable that to happen. with that capacity building every day, we will continue to use this and every other means available to us to increase the reach of our efforts to the people of haiti. >> people who are familiar with the logistics say to me that since you have a single runway at port-au-prince airport, it would make sense to create an

un improve runway. you could start moving in more aircraft because they can land anywhere. is there any thought being given to creating and un improve runway in a? 80 =? haiti? >> those airports that are immediately capable are being integrated into the plan. we will begin to use two alternate airports points of entry within the next 24-48 hours to relieve some of the pressure on port-au-prince. as you know, the team of air force units and supporting units have been doing herculean work,

extraordinary work at port-au- prince. we have increased to over 200 sorties per day from a capacity that on an average day, pre- earthquake, was 13 commercial aircraft into port-au-prince airport. it is an extraordinary amount of work and will remain critical to us at the port of prince airfield. we're getting a lot of great help from supporters to enable us to continue to increase the throughput coming into haiti as well as our ability to distribute it to the areas most in need outside the north center. >> can you say where these other airfields are? >> the first run white in haiti -- the first runway in a proper

will go into operation within the area of jaqnel within 24 hours. the unit that went in there yesterday, delivering food and supplies, that enabled us to do the airfield assessment. we will begin to use that airfield for c-130 deliveries, initially supporting the buildup of the canadian humanitarian assistance efforts that will be centered there in jaqnel and integrating the eight necessary to the international community to continue to deliver food and emergency supplies to the people in the southern provinces of haiti. the other aerial port of entry that is being brought into

service to enable overland delivery of supplies to haiti is in san ac drove -- san ysidro, in the dominican republic. we are conscious of the need to have multiple ports of entry. we are also close to initial operating capability in the south port of port-au-prince. we want to rapidly support the logistics brought afloat to a short perioashore. >> we understand there are no plans to do another c-17 dropped today. why not do it again today? is there still an active search for american survivors? how many do you believe are still out there?

>> the first question in terms of the c-17 dropped -- obviously, the commanders'' assessment of the needs on the ground and where his forces need to be are a component of determining where subsequent deliveries will happen. with the surge in deliveries and elements of the 82nd airborne division overnight, we resurging resources to move them to their distribution points. our intent is that within the next 24 hours, to conduct future aerial deliveries of supplies to those priority locations identified by the government of haiti and the international relief effort. >> on the american tas?

>> u.s. aid is heading up the search and rescue effort. we fully and expect that we will transition very soon from the search phase to the recovery phase. obviously, we continue to be in prayer but with a week after the initiation of the earthquake, we have not found any survivors in the last two days. we are doubtful that we will be fortunate. obviously, we remain in prayer and hopeful. >> you said the second brigade combat team is in haiti, 1000- strong. the original timeline have the entire brigade being in haiti by this weekend.

what is holding up the deployment of a full brigade? if you have air drop supplies, why can't to airdrop the troops themselves? >> that is a great question. obviously, the delivery capability here in haiti is a balancing act that requires troops on the ground to distribute humanitarian assistance. this applies for them to distribute and the mobility necessary for them to be able to reach the communities that are most stricken. quite frankly, the earthquake did not take into account the location of drop zones when it achieved the effects that it did. if we were to air drop the 82nd,

we would have other challenges inherent in that and our focus becomes distribution of them from their disbursement locations to where they need to help. suffice to say, in the ground commanders view, we are using the best method possible to get the most forces on the ground as quickly as possible. the insertion of the marine expeditionary effort represents an example where they will reach areas we have been unable to get to yet. we expect the last load of the second brigade combat team to land here within the next 36 hours. the adjustment in the air flow was in order to get higher priority capability on the ground so that when those troops arrive, they would be fully

capable of disbursing the critical supplies that are needed. our capability is building dale. we're making significant progress. >> how do you characterize the mission of the forces on the ground? it is humanitarian assistance but you said it is generally orderly now. where are your concerns about where that could break down and where the humanitarian assistance mission might have to change? >> as in any military operation, security is inherent and it is the foundation of your ability to do anything but particularly when you're trying to reach people that are stricken by this earthquake. the united nations, as you know, as the lead for security

in haiti. they have been here for over five years. they have been doing extraordinary work in restoring stability and security to the people of haiti and to the government of haiti. they are working very, very agi lly and responsibly to meet those needs as they emerge. in addition, it is obviously necessary for the security forces of the government of haiti, the haitian national police, to increase their capacity. the day after the earthquake, there were only 500 haitian national police available to address the needs based on the destruction and the tragedy that hit. as of last night, there were 2000 haitian national police on the job courageously working within their communities to

ensure a secure and stable environment for the ongoing recovery effort. we are watching for signs of instability. at present, there are pockets in areas of haiti. the u.n. security forces are working with the haitian national police to address those pockets as they arise. they have been able to effectively deal with them and we are confident they will continue to do sell. so. >> what are the ingredients that create those pockets of instability? >> we have people they need food, water, life-sustaining support.

in some cases, the instability that occurs is generated by that challenge. some of the activity is criminal in nature. you are quite aware that the prisons here were destroyed by the earthquake. those prisoners are now in the populous. obviously, we're working with the government of haiti to ensure that we retain order and that we do not allow security to degrade and affect our ability to get emergency relief to the people of haiti. >> you mentioned that the marines were scheduled to go on shore today. we heard reports that instead of the beach had this morning, have

you begun already? when does the transition happen between search and rescue and recovery and rebuilding? we're still getting reports of patients being pulled out of the rubble but no americans. can you inform us on any discussion you are having and when that transition will happen? "starts declining every day and there are risks of bodies -- hopes starts declining every day and their risks of bodies decaying. >> in response to your first question -- yes, the insertion of marine forces ashore began this morning and based on their coordination theirsri lankan but united nations forces in that

area, they will expand their support through ongoing relief efforts and we expect within 24- 48 hours, the 800 marines that are available to go ashore will be fully supporting the relief efforts in the western portions of the stricken zone, west of port-au-prince pe. your second question -- i will not speak for the u.s. aid. this is their mission to lead the search and recovery efforts. i am not going to put words into their area of responsibility just as they would not speak for general kean on how we are employing the military forces here. i would ask you to direct your question to the u.s. a id.

>> you said that you anticipate there will be 10,000 troops within the next several weeks. how long have you determined that the u.s. military will stay? >> as i also stated, we are here at the invitation of the government of haiti as president obama has made very clear, we are here to give all support we can to the government of haiti for as long as they say that we can assist them and recover from this tragedy. >> how long have you told your supervisors that the u.s. military will stay given the challenges and demands for equipment in other areas? >> i'm sure you get a better

answer to that question in the pentagon parted we have the ability to sustain our forces. we are leveraging all the capabilities of our joint military in supporting forces. we will be able to sustain the efforts here in haiti as long as it is needed. we are reassured by our senior leaders that all available resources that are needed by general keene and by the government of haiti will be made available and brought to bear as rapidly+zñ as possible. we are inspired by the speed with which the capabilities had been brought in here and the speed with which they have been able to adjust priorities to the changing situation on the ground.

we are a very capable -- the department of defense -- we're confident that the capabilities that are needed by the government of haiti will be provided and can be provided and sustained for as long as it is needed. >> you said "the comfort" arrives tomorrow and there are a number of field hospitals on the ground various reports are showing a lot of patients desperately needed medical attention on the ground within minutes and hours.

is there an effort to loosen the logjam and medical supplies to get additional doctors or medical facilities to get in on the ground as opposed to flying people out, as well but increasing the medical capabilities in a wider part of haiti? >> that is a great question that effort is ongoing. our medical capacity has grown each and every day we are here as has our understanding of where the response is needed most. obviously, we are adjusting the delivery of medical capabilities. we want to address the requirements that are not immediately being mad.

et. there is an interagency effort led by the world health organization that is moving rapidly to increase the distribution of essential medical aid. we are confident that, as we work together and understand where the needs are needed most, that we will be able to push them in that direction very, very quickly. >> we understand there may be some talk about moving field hospitals out of order is that in the works, moving air force or navy field hospitals into the area? >> i spoke mostly about the international contributors in my remarks but we also have military medical capability that

is in support of the effort. we are constantly assessing the need to ensure that the capability on the ground is sufficient to meet the daily needs of the response effort to this tragedy. if we need more capability than what is currently needed, and with more arriving every day -- shortly after the comfort arrived ashore, -- derives offshore, we will have the colombians providing a hospital ship to the efforts and support our efforts here. we are in an hour early and daily assessment of needs versus capability. if we needed from the department

of defense, we will request that. i am confident it will be delivered as quickly as possible. >> there have been some reports about security. there have been problems that some of the refugee camps where the locals are massing together, sexual assaults and so forth. is there talk of military policing the area and keeping the locals safe? >> we are working with the u.n. security forces. we have several meetings per day with general peshoto and his staff. we met with him last night at 2100 hours to discuss the situation on the ground and our respective capabilities.

in the incidents that occurred yesterday, two in particular, in the vicinity of port-au-prince, his responsiveness to those incidents was not only timely but also extra in a fact extrem. he has exhibited that time and time again to the international relief efforts here per as i stated earlier, there is a concurrent effort to assist the haitian national police in restoring their capability. that will be an effort led by, i'm sure, the inl and supported by the u.n. civilian police efforts here. that was already in place and is being reinforced.

we believe that the emerging incidence of instability are within the current capability and our commanders on the ground are adjusting their force posture to move them where they are needed most, to ensure that we do not get an unstable environment that affects our ability to accomplish the mission >> who is policing the areas where all the civilians, all these homeless haitians are now living? who is in charge of securing those people? >> the coherent security force on the ground today, across the country, is minusta. they are the ones dealing with the majority of the locations of large gatherings of people. where incidents occur in local

communities, in areas around port-au-prince and the outlying areas, the haitian national police are responding to those and becoming more and more capable in dealing with those. .. .

>> we hear some of these numbers like forty thousand liters of water and humanitarian rations. there are big numbers, but compared to the need, they don't sound so big. what is your assessment of the capability as it grows compared to the need, especially for food and water by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people? just before i came in, i heard about u.s. troops landing on the ground at presidential palace. can you tell me what that is all about? >> in answer to your first question, part of our daily staff work, with all the participants in this effort, is to fully understand both the changes in demand on the ground and the capacity building here

in haiti. in the example of the delivery of water, our objective is to restore water production and distribution to levels that were here before the earthquake. we are already seeing the haitian system stand up, up local delivery trucks are operating in port-au-prince, delivering water to cisterns in many communities. there are fuel delivery trucks delivering fuel to many of the gas stations in the port-au- prince and outlying areas. this is a very encouraging sign. as our assessment determined that we have a gap between the demand on the ground and our ability to deliver, we then adjust the priority on delivery

of supplies coming into a theater to ensure what can be met by the commanders on the ground and people of haiti. >> and the report of u.s. troops parachuting or landing in the presidential palace grounds? >> we have not had any airborne operations of personnel here in haiti. we have none planned at present. the only insertion of our troops is in support of distribution of water and humanitarian assistance. i think most of you know that there is a distribution point at the displaced personnel gathering on the ground at the presidential palace. the report is probably linked to resupply its of the distribution

point. >> you said usaid was in charge of search and recovery efforts. does that mean it is now officially recovery mission? >> know, that is the phases of the effort involved in search and recovery. i combine the two because there are linked in terms of a continuum. i'm not telling you that the search effort is over. that is the usa id's responsibility to direct one that shift occurs. >> of the competing priorities, food, water, medical equipment and security, what is the top priority? >> our top priority is to continue to increase our

distribution capacity of the supplies that are building on the ground, both those delivered by the department of defense and contributions from the international and interagency community. we are increasingly capable of doing that. based on that, the number one priority today is our ability to increase the tactical mobility, the ground vehicles necessary to disperse those supplies. it is important for the next two or three days to increase the delivery of water until we have a self-sustaining production capability on the ground. our third priority is to be able to continue to bring the enable

capability that will enable the full opening of the port and the construction equipment necessary to begin reconstruction, the rubble removal efforts on the ground. >> what capability does the comfort give you in terms of increased hospital and medical capability over what you have now on the ground? i have a follow-up clarification. >> i'm not sure i caught the second half of what he said. the naval ship, comfort, is a 250 bed capacity fully manned with medical professionals to increase by two entered 50 patients the current capacity here on the ground -- 250

patients the current capacity here on the ground. by tomorrow, we expect to transfer high priority patients identified by the minister of health and medical professionals on the ground to ensure those most in need of trauma care and advanced medical procedures will be able to receive those on the comfort. >> a clarification -- on the 10,000 u.s. personnel -- is it 10,000 troops or 10,000 combined army-marine-naval personnel? >> the current capability requested and our assessment of what is needed on the ground is 10,000 total military personnel. >> does that include navy on the vessels?

>> i'm sorry, i did not hear that question. >> does that include naval personnel as opposed to all ground troops? >> that includes all departments of defense personnel supporting operations here in the joint operating area. >> defy could go back to the self sustaining water supply you talked about earlier. there is great interest in these in giant letters being produced by the deceleration machines. it is this happening on the ground or offshore? how are we insuring people actually get the water? how do you envision how -- how far off the invasion itself sustaining water supply? >> yes and yes -- is being produced afloat and that

bloated into containers that can be loaded into areas where it is needed. it is being produced in multiple areas around haiti and distributed by a multitude of means. and in some cases, it is being produced in close proximity to existing distribution points and pumped directly into those areas. it is being distributed by vehicle in bladders and bumping capability. we have all means our systems being put into operation to increase the capacity of water production on the ground. our current estimates, and once again, this is based on an evolving assessment of demand

and where we are reaching people most stricken by at is that within the next four or five days we will approach that self sustaining threshold. >> the bladders are being filled where? are they being sold on the water or in the land? >> i'm not sure i got the entire question, but the entire quit -- the bladders are being filled at multiple areas on the ground in the vicinity of the water purification units. they are being filled on ships at sea with water purification units and then loaded by helicopter ashore. >> i wanted to know if you could

talk about the implementation of the agreement with the un to prioritize delivery of humanitarian supplies and talk a little bit about the initial complaints that the u.s. was prioritizing getting americans out and u.s. humanitarian supplies in? >> i did not catch the first question. i will answer the second question. we are supporting the evacuation of american citizens, each and every day, as we have been directed to do. that number ranges from 802,000 a day. thus far, -- that number ranges from 800 to 1000 a day. thus far, departing aircraft

have brought in forces and equipment and there is a concurrent effort on going by the international community to evacuate their citizens. those efforts are being prioritized by the international community in coordination with the government of haiti. i am confident it will continue to exert all resources to ensure we can meet the needs of every citizen of the international community. i apologize, but i am at a point where i need to move to a different location for a subsequent commitment. i will provide a brief closing comment. first and foremost, thank you for the opportunity to talk to you today and give you an update

on the current situation on the ground in haiti and the extraordinary effort under way by the international community, supported by the entire department of defense and the united nations in support of the government in haiti and the people of haiti. in the days to come, our forces and capabilities to distribute water, rations, emergency supplies and other relief items will increase. we are joined with an incredibly dedicated team committed to helping haiti and the people of haiti to be lifted out of this extraordinary tragedy. thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. i look forward to future updates. >> thank you for your time.

>> as the news conference got under way -- news from the united nations. the united nations security council has approved 3500 extra troops and police officer to beef up security in haiti, ensuring a gets to earthquake victims. former presidents bill clinton and george w. bush are heading of fund-raising efforts. president clinton and his daughter were in port-au-prince yesterday, taurine earthquake areas. here is a look.

[inaudible] [inaudible]

[inaudible] [inaudible] >> former president clinton and chelsea clinton yesterday -- an update for you, the state department will update you. they have a briefing scheduled at 12:30. we will carry that live here on c-span.

the u.s. house tomorrow is expected to take up a bill that would allow charitable donations made to haiti to be tax deductible on the current tax year. that bill is expected tomorrow. 10 bills to be considered today, including one honoring a catholic school. legislative beget -- legislative business begins at 2:00. coming up on c-span2, conservative columnist charles crop hammer will discuss the first year of president obama's administration. then the white house spokesman has a briefing scheduled at 1:00 eastern. we plan to have live coverage here on c-span. it is election day in massachusetts, a special election for the senate seat there. we will have live coverage there, the victory and concession speeches on c-span2.

>> one of the top news applications for your iphone or ipod attached is c-span radio. you have access to three streaming audio channels. there is also a tablets links to our broadcast. -- there is also a tab with links to our podcasts. >> now, the state of the commonwealth address by bob mcdonnell. this coverage is from last night. it is just under one hour. >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. thank you.

thank you very much what a warm welcome back here to the house of delegates. mr. speaker. mr. president. mr. chief justice and justices of the supreme court. ladies and gentlemen of the general assembly. my fellow virginians. it is an honor to return to this historic chamber this evening to share with you some thoughts about the challenges and opportunities before us. and i want to thank you for inviting me to address you for the second time in 48 hours. i appreciate you wanting to hear from me so often, but i don't know if we can keep up this pace. i enjoyed my 14 years serving the people of virginia beach in this house as their delegate. i've been looking forward to this moment for a long time. this will be the first time that i've spoken in the house of delegates that delegate armstrong is powerless to interrupt me.

[laughter] [cheers and applause] tonight i thank our clerks, bruce and susan, for giving me the best seat in the house. i extend my sincere appreciation tonight to governor tim kaine for his service to virginia [cheers and applause] his help during the hectic two months of transition has helped prepare me to be ready to govern today. before we begin to discuss our

commonwealth, i want to direct our thoughts and prayers to another country. we grieve for the suffering people of haiti who have lost loved ones, property and dreams. please join me in a moment of silence for all those who were lost in last week's devastating earthquake, including university of virginia graduate student stephanie jean-charles. thank you. the people of virginia are responding to the tragic events in haiti with an outpouring of concern and generosity, and i encourage all our citizens to donate what they can to the red cross and the other relief organizations that are at this minute providing food, water, medical care and shelter to the people of haiti.

i especially want to thank our state employees who are already generously contributing to this relief effort. never as a middle class kid growing up in fairfax county did i dream i would have the honor i received on november third. to serve as the 71st governor of the commonwealth of virginia is to follow in the footsteps of giants-henry, jefferson, randolph and others. but many who have inspired us were not governors or even public officials at all. today we honor a leader who was not a native virginian nor a public official, but who forever changed the lives of virginians and americans for the better - dr. martin luther king [ applause ]

as we work to help the people we represent make it through a time of unprecedented challenges, i am reminded that dr. king said "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." together we face challenges, and the choices we make this session will come after much reflection and debate. if we can show leadership and agree to cooperate we will move virginia through these difficult times. i ask that you make decisions based not on which house or political party or branch of government wins, but whether or not virginia wins. much of the marvelous story of america was written in virginia. and much of her future will be written here as well.

"with challenge comes opportunity." if that is true - we have lots of opportunity before us. i pledge to work with you to create "a commonwealth of opportunity" for all virginians. [ applause ] as the early colonists, the founding fathers, and the civil rights leaders, the technology entrepreneurs seized the opportunities before them, so too will we seize ours. i want to see opportunity flourishing in the successful start-up of a small business in norfolk, in the farmer able to keep working his family's land in scott county, in the first-time home buyer receiving her new keys in fredericksburg. i want to see opportunity at

work in the new technologies and systems that virginians invent in loudoun and fairfax counties. i want to see opportunity alive in eager young minds, thrilled to discover the miracles of science or unlock the mysteries of history - young people who embrace learning and earning, and then living and giving. and the steps toward those positive outcomes will take place right here, with you, in the house and senate chambers of the oldest continuous legislative body in the western hemisphere. many of you are longtime friends and allies, some are "occasional" adversaries, but all are respected colleagues. you all share with me a common love of virginia and the ideals she represents. for the 20 of you who are newly elected, i commend you for answering the call to public service.

over the years, i have seen us work across party lines to produce results that matter. i recall a time, for example, when welfare reform and abolition of parole seemed like hopelessly elusive goals. here on this floor we debated those issues. out of our contests and collaboration came great good for virginia, and with welfare reform, a model for the nation. working together, we have led the nation with business-friendly laws and job-creating tax and regulatory policies that have made virginia one of america's most prosperous states. we have led the nation in managing prudently and in governing innovatively. and from education standards to sentencing reform, we have shown that transformational leadership for america often begins here, where america itself began. now, we must agree to to put in

place policies that will unleash the innovation and ingenuity of the people of virginia, opening the way for a new era of prosperity and progress. it starts with policies to promote job creation and economic development. [ applause ] the inherent dignity of a good day's work in a worthwhile pursuit strengthens the soul, supports the family, and reduces dependence on government. immediately following my inauguration on saturday, i signed executive order #1 on the capitol steps. this executive order established a statewide commission dedicated to creating jobs and promoting free enterprise and opportunity.

it was the first executive order of my administration, because it must be the first order of business for all of us. unemployment has doubled in 5 years. we all know family members, friends, neighbors who have lost their jobs. this has made it tremendously difficult on many families trying to meet the basic needs for their children. i know there has been overwhelming support for the virginia federation of food banks and the work they are doing - governor kaine ensured additional funding for their efforts and i am committed to maintaining it. [ applause ]

yes, we face a difficult budget cycle. the budget that i have inherited is dire, and it is unbalanced. we begin with nearly a billion dollar annual shortfall based on tax hike proposals that both parties have rejected. more spending cuts must be made. but even in the toughest of times - even now - we must have the vision and the foresight to invest in our future. our jobs and opportunity agenda consists of policies that make those investments. first, i will ask you to significantly increase the amount of money in our successful job-creating governor's opportunity fund. delegate armstrong, i'm glad to support your bill to rename it the commonwealth economic development fund, since we are all in this together to attract business.

[ applause ] there is a competition underway among the states and the nations. from raleigh to singapore; tallahassee to shanghai, governments are pursuing bold initiatives to attract new job-creating businesses to their borders. we must compete more vigorously to be successful. growing the tax base through business development is the key to virginia's economic recovery. let's start now by doubling the amount of the fund for fiscal year 2011. we have fallen behind many neighboring states in the tax and regulatory incentives we offer, which cannot last. provide us the tools, we will get results. i have assembled a very talented team to focus on economic

development, with lieutenant governor bill bolling as a cabinet level chief job creation officer, and extraordinarily successful businessmen and entrepreneurs jim cheng as secretary of commerce and trade, and bob sledd as senior economic advisor. new funding is much needed to incentivize rural economic development. it is imperative that we focus on bringing new jobs to rural areas of our state that have been wracked by double-digit unemployment. [ applause ] in mid-december i joined lieutenant governor bolling, bob sledd, and delegates armstrong, marshall, and merricks, and senator reynolds, at the annual lunch for the martinsville-henry chamber of commerce. the message in the room was

clear: if we will give them the resources, they will build the local economy. i agree. the business of creating jobs is not a partisan one. that is why republicans and democrats will be carrying important components of my job creation package that will have immediate positive impact. i will also add a deputy secretary of commerce and trade to focus on rural economic development, and honor the pledge for the lieutenant governor or me to visit our high unemployment rural areas every 30 days to find solutions to their challenges. we will also target new opportunity fund dollars to the bio-tech industry. this is an industry of high-paying jobs in a fast-growing career field. smart states look at this sector for future economic development. we will as well. delegate sam nixon of

chesterfield is teaming up with senator mark herring from loudoun county to push my commitment to grant an income tax exemption for qualified investments by technology and science startup businesses. [ applause ] and i will seek an important change in how the money in the opportunity fund is utilized. currently funding is available to companies based on job creation and capital investment. we should broaden the use of the fund for companies that significantly increase local and state tax revenue - allowing for even more investment in education, workforce development and job creation. i will be asking you to approve an additional $5 million for an industrial mega-site fund for this fiscal year.

when a major business is considering a move to virginia we must be able to meet the executives at the airport, drive them to a site ready for their project and show them that the only thing missing is them. virginia is ready for their business - right now. we must be prepared. [ applause ] and we must incentivize businesses to create jobs for virginians. i ask you to reduce the eligibility threshold for the $1000 per job tax credit down to every business that creates 50 jobs, or 25 jobs in jurisdictions experiencing a higher than average unemployment rate. [ applause ]

there is an old adage in business that says you have to spend money to make money. investment in job creation and economic development today creates new tax revenue tomorrow. i will identify the offsetting savings to balance these new job creation investments in budget amendments i will submit shortly. on the campaign trail, i met small business owners from alexandria to abingdon. these are the innovators responsible for 70% of the new jobs created in our state. one after another they told me familiar tales of paperwork, bureaucracy and slow turnarounds stifling their efforts. that is unacceptable. any impediment to job creation

and economic development is an impediment to the future of virginia. and they must be removed. together, let's make virginia the easiest state in america in which to open a business [ applause ] one way we can do this: allow currently licensed businesses in virginia to operate any new business venture under the license they already have while waiting for a new license to be processed. i will also direct the department of professional and occupational regulation and other licensing agencies to ensure that new businesses can get licensing processes and approvals complete in 48 hours or less. to get them started. flawz flaw[ applause ]

we will also greatly enhance the effectiveness of our one-stop business startup centers. and if you served our nation in the military and now want to serve our commonwealth by opening a business and creating jobs for our citizens, we should serve you. we will waive administrative and licensing fees for veterans starting a small business who have been taking care of their families, facing medical challenges - all while serving our country here and overseas. [ applause ] in a tough economy, a smart investor looks for the best

opportunities in which to maximize limited resources. so too must smart states. tourism returns five dollars to the commonwealth for every one we put in. i've seen the commercials for michigan on tv here. it's time we put some virginia commercials on tv sets in ann arbor and lansing. [ applause ] we have so much to offer. beaches, mountains, history. mt. vernon. virginia beach. luray caverns. yorktown. the birthplace of our nation. next year, america will begin commemorating the 150th anniversary of the civil war. no state bore the brunt of that seminal event in american history more than virginia. this is the state of manassas

and chancellorsville; petersburg and appomattox. in 2013, the nation will celebrate the 150th anniversary of lincoln's signing of the emancipation proclamation. i am working with senator marsh and delegates mcclellan and alexander to continue the good work from last year's 200th anniversary commemoration of lincoln's birthday, through the sesquicentennial and the anniversary of emancipation. the world will come here to remember and reflect upon the lessons learned from this pivotal period in our history. and while these tourists are here, they should stay awhile, spend lots of money, and help put more virginians to work. [ applause ]

i propose an increase in funding of the virginia tourism corporation by $3.6 million in each of the next two years. i want the funding of the virginia tourism corporation to double by the time i leave office in 2014. another smart investment we can make is in film production. this year the movie "secretariat" will hit theaters. a movie about a horse from virginia. with a director from virginia. filmed in kentucky and louisiana. not landing that production here meant an estimated loss of $30 million in economic impact. that is a failure. it's not hard to see why we struggle to attract film production. south carolina offers a cash rebate for movie makers funded at $10 million annually, and just north of us maryland offers $1 million. we have $200,000 per year available in the governor's motion picture opportunity fund. we simply cannot compete.

i ask you to increase funding for the motion picture opportunity fund by $2 million. [ applause ] movies made in virginia equal jobs created for virginians. governor kaine committed to invest $1.3 million in the virginia spaceport. we can make wallops island the top commercial spaceport in america, and i ask you to keep that money in place so that we can aggressively recruit aerospace companies and promote space tourism initiatives. right here in virginia. [ applause ]

i didn't think lynn was asleep. [laughter] one of my favorite stickers reads "make mine virginia wine"" the virginia wine industry is dynamic and growing. they grow grapes and jobs. i've seen many of you personally and enthusiastically supporting the industry at legislative receptions! [laughter] we are the 6th largest wine-exporting state. this summer i visited the blue ridge vineyard in botetourt. this beautiful vineyard hosts weddings, attracts tourists, and makes a really good cabernet. even better, it employs virginians. i will offer legislation to help virginia's wine industry, that attracts visitors from across the country, by directing a portion of the wine liter tax to be deposited in the virginia wine promotion fund. another industry with tremendous growth potential is energy. i am committed to utilizing all

of our vast, god-given natural resources to make virginia the "energy capital of the east coast. [cheers and applause] we must do our part to promote american energy independence. we have the opportunity to be the first state on the eastern seaboard to sell the leasing

rights to explore and drill offshore for oil and natural gas in 2011. i want your help to make that happen. [cheers and applause] the federal moratoria have been lifted. the state that is first will reap an economic bonanza. we can lead or be left out. four years ago you had the foresight to pass legislation giving us a critical advantage. we cannot now let washington bureaucracy undermine the clear desires of the people of virginia. [ applause ] i have written to secretary of interior ken salazar, and have let our congressional delegation

know that this is a priority for our commonwealth, consistent with president obama's commitment to make our nation more energy secure. several studies show that environmentally-safe offshore exploration and production will create thousands of jobs, put hundreds of millions into our depleted state coffers, and spur billions in capital investment in the old dominion. there are many unemployed virginians who are ready to work in the oil and gas production industry. and we must continue to prepare for the reality of offshore production this session by mandating that 20% of the new tax revenues we generate, and any future royalties we receive, will be invested in renewable energy projects, with the other 80% going to transportation. [cheers and applause]

we must also promote virginia's coal and natural gas industries in southwest virginia [ applause ] as carbon sequestration and coal gasification technologies become cost-efficient, coal production can grow. nuclear power growth must be incentivized. virginia has more private sector nuclear industry capability than any other state, and new partnerships between areva and the university of virginia are producing the engineers needed to grow this sector. to further make virginia a welcome home for alternative energy, i ask you to pass legislation making the entire commonwealth a "green jobs zone. [ applause ]

any business in the state that creates a green energy job over the next 5 years will receive an income tax credit of $500 per position. "virginia is for lovers" of renewable energy. in southside virginia, i visited the entrepreneurs at piedmont bio-products, who are using a creative distillation process to turn hardy sugar cane and switchgrass into a fuel that you can put in an engine or you can drink. it's not tasty, but it's another emerging virginia energy technology. i look forward to working with delegate terry kilgore and the tobacco commission to create an energy corridor in southern and southwest virginia. [ applause ]

of course the investments we make for our future will all take place in the midst of cuts we must make for today. as unemployment has doubled, and virginians have been forced to tighten their belts, revenue has declined. the budget that was waiting for me at 12:01pm on saturday requires $4 billion in cuts. some say taxes must be raised - it's unavoidable. here's what i say. i will work with you -democrats, republicans and independents. we will meet and negotiate; there will be disagreements, and there will be compromises. virginians are struggling with the worst economy in generations. we will not turn our economy around by taxing virginians more. to do so would ignore the indisputable truth that the fiscal fortune of any government is tied to the economic prosperity of its people. therefore, if you pass a bill in

this recession that raises taxes on the hardworking families of virginia - i will veto it. [cheers and applause] and if you pass a budget embedded with those same tax increases - i will not approve it. the steps required to close the $4 billion budget deficit that we confront will be difficult. we will make a start in the executive office. i will return a portion of my salary. members of my cabinet and senior

staff are taking a pay cut. my secretaries will reduce the size of their staffs and budgets. every opportunity to save, however small, is one that must be seized. budget challenges present legislative opportunities to think outside the box about what's in the budget and how we develop it. during my transition i called for reforming virginia's budget cycle - an initiative that has received broad bipartisan support, including from my predecessor, governor kaine, and many other governors. during this session, we must take the time to find new ways to deliver government services effectively, while reducing spending. and it is time that we eliminated, consolidated or privatized programs and agencies that do not work or do not fulfill core government functions. as i traveled this great commonwealth over the last year, i didn't run into anybody who

thought selling jack daniels whiskey or grey goose vodka was a core function of government. in the future i will present plans to privatize our abc operations in a fiscally prudent manner. [ applause ] i offer a frank assessment of what this necessary belt tightening will mean for virginians in the short term. it will mean more cuts to certain state agencies. some state services will be reduced, some possibly consolidated or eliminated. we must do our best to treat our dedicated state employees fairly. this is not only a short-term reality, but a longer-term necessity. we must act now. certainly the national and global economy has had a

significant impact on the revenues and the budget in virginia. but that is only part of the story. ronald reagan used to say "government is too big and it spends too much." he was talking about the federal government at the time - but it applies to state governments as well. since i got elected to this body in 1991, state spending has more than tripled, far beyond the rate of growth in population and inflation. we can do better. the second executive order i signed from the steps of the capitol on saturday established the governor's commission on government reform and restructuring. it is time to look for new ideas about how to make government work more efficiently and effectively, and within our means [ applause ]

means. we will find these new ideas, and we will implement them. i will work with the leaders at the council on virginia's future to offer strategic reform initiatives. i ask those of you sitting in this chamber tonight, our state employees at home watching on television, business and community leaders, members of the media, citizens and taxpayers: when bold proposals for reform are offered by me and by members of this assembly to change the ways we do things, do not just tell us all of the reasons change should not or cannot occur. instead let's work together work to implement the bold and sensible changes that will put virginia on a secure financial footing. [ applause ]

this will be the philosophy that guides my service as governor. and my request and challenge tonight is that you join me in treating this not as a time for painful cutting but as a time for making government limited but effective - efficient and affordable. [ applause ] my dad told me as a kid that to get a good job, you need a good education. he was right. those who rank the states say a young person has a better chance to succeed here in virginia than elsewhere. good rankings aren't enough.

we need good schools and good choices for every young person in our state, because every one has unique gifts from god with dreams and potential. joining me tonight is secretary of education gerard robinson gerard's story demonstrates what can be accomplished with the simple opportunity of a good education. he grew up in a working-class family in los angeles. no one in the family had gone to college. when he graduated from high school, he was in the bottom rung of his class! he didn't give up - he enrolled in a community college while working fulltime for three years at a grocery store. today, he has a master's degree in education from harvard, is finishing his phd at uva, and is considered a national expert on education reform. secretary robinson i'm honored to have you serving in our administration. [cheers and applause]

he is joining this administration with a passion and a mission to ensure that every child in virginia, in every community, takes advantage of the same opportunities that he did. no child should attend a school that is not fully accredited. we will work with local school boards and governments to turn them around. and no child should have her educational attainment determined by her birthplace or zip code, only her work ethic and intelligence. every child must graduate from high school either career-ready or college-ready. there are important steps we must take this session to reform and improve education in virginia. i ask you to join me in the effort to ensure that over the next four years, 65% of

virginia's education dollars go to instruction in the classroom, where our children learn. [ applause ] we must start this session by increasing the state average by 1%, from 61% to 62%. president obama and i share a passion for good charter schools. he is committed to expanding them nationwide. i'm committed to helping him. charter schools are public schools with greater autonomy, more freedom to innovate, and they offer choices to parents. we have the weakest laws in the nation. they are not silver bullets, but are positive alternatives that have been demonstrated to help

students, particularly in some of the nation's underperforming school districts. nationally there are 4600 charter schools. here in virginia, 12 years after we passed legislation to allow them, there are only three. that is unacceptable. that number will increase to four when the patrick henry charter school here in richmond opens this spring. joining us in the gallery tonight is everett, age 4, and his mom kristen. everett has applied to be in the first kindergarten class at patrick henry. everett stand up so we can recognize you. [ applause ] i will introduce legislation this session that will result in

the establishment of more charter schools, expand access to virtual schools, and pursue the innovative idea by delegate, now mayor dwight jones, to create college laboratory schools. the work we do to increase the number of high-quality charter schools and innovative education options is not just good for virginia's schoolchildren. it's good for virginia's bottom line. the president's race to the top grant program allocates $4.35 billion to states based on their support for educational reform, in particular charter schools. just last week, i signed a letter in support of virginia's race to the top application developed by governor kaine and superintendent pat wright in cooperation with our transition team. the request was for $350 million. that is a tremendous amount of money we could apply to the next fiscal year, and put towards put into ensuring educational

excellence here in the commonwealth. excellence here in the commonwealth. and we will get more science technology, engineering, math and healthcare taught in our schools. of course education doesn't stop at the 12th grade. in today's global economy it just begins there. a college degree has never been more important. it has also never been more expensive. over the past decade college tuition has doubled. the state budget commitment has decreased by 40%. virginia students and parents are left shouldering the constantly increasing costs. we must make college more affordable and accessible. [ applause ]

we will do this by committing the commonwealth to awarding 100,000 more degrees over the next 15 years in our community colleges and four-year universities. it is an audacious goal, but an important one for our future competiveness. virginia's community colleges occupy the critical intersection between preparation and profession. we should make these underutilized assets of our higher education system the hub of our workforce development efforts, helping citizens get the skills they need to land the job they want in the communities in which they live. economic growth is also predicated on a modern and well-maintained transportation system, from our roads to rail to ports. there are steps we can take right now to improve transportation in virginia. our rest stops and welcome centers are important for safety and tourism.

i've asked secretary connaughton to schedule a time for the commonwealth transportation board to vote on re-opening the rest stops. we'll have those rest stops open within 87 days!a8 [cheers and applause] we should raise the speed limit in rural parts of the state to 70 mph on major interstates [ applause ] in 2006 you voted to raise the speed limit to 70mph on portions of interstate 85. let's do the same on stretches of 95, 64, 77 and 81 in our more

sparsely populated regions. thirty-two states already have 70 mph speed limits; thirteen have 75mph speed limits. we should also step back and look at the structure and operations of the virginia department of transportation anew. we have dedicated employees at vdot, but it is time to conduct performance audits to determine what works, what doesn't, and what can be done better for less. delegate glen oder and delegate scott lingamfelter are advancing legislation that looks at real structural opportunities to identify both cost savings and also performance metrics on congestion relief and mobility. i support their legislation. in the future, i will be asking you to adopt a further series of transportation funding reforms to meet the needs. twenty years ago i was a prosecutor in virginia beach. i believe ensuring that the safety of citizens in their homes and their communities is

the foremost obligation of government. tonight i ask you to join me in saluting the men and women of the capitol police, the virginia department of state police, city of richmond police, that worked together to ensure that everyone who participated in the inaugural events were safe. [ applause ] we will not have "a commonwealth

of opportunity" if we do not first have a commonwealth that is secure. to ensure a secure commonwealth in which all virginians can safely live their lives and pursue their dreams i will propose legislation asking you to: first: protect victims of domestic crime by making our protective order procedures consistent with our neighboring states and helping victims of domestic violence to extend the length of protective orders when there is evidence of an ongoing threat. i thank senator janet howell for carrying this bill along with delegate rob bell. second: keep up the fight against gangs, which i worked on with many of you as attorney general, by expanding "gang-free school zones" to "gang free zones", to better target gang activity wherever it occurs. senator marsh is teaming up with delegate jackson miller on this key initiative. third: tough sentences are only half of the equation in making virginia safer.

we must provide real opportunities to prisoners to turn their lives around, and to become responsible and contributing members of society when their sentences have concluded [ applause ] a failure to do so only leads to more crime, and more victims. i will work with faith-based and community organizations to create an effective prisoner re-entry program to keep people out of jails and prisons. it's smart government, and will save money. i've seen firsthand the good that can happen when we do. last month i stood in the basement of a local richmond church at the christmas party for the members of the mccovery program: men who had been incarcerated and struggled with substance abuse. they had been subject to two forms of confinement: physical

jails and mental addictions. but on this december night they resolved together they would: "accept the challenge of chang"" and that "recovery is my responsibility." family members looked on with admiration. one of those family members was a little 7 month old boy named xavier, whose father michael was a program member. i had first met michael visiting the richmond city jail. now, michael was free of the bars of imprisonment, accepting the responsibility of seizing the opportunity he had been given to turn his life around for him and his son. michael is here with us tonight and i congratulate you michael for what you are doing for yourself and your family and being an example of people turning their lives around. thank you michael.

[ applause ] every day, virginians help each other with generous acts of personal charity. i've seen it firsthand recently at the healing place in richmond the food banks and boys and girls clubs statewide the uso in norfolk. the carpenter's shelter in alexandria. the opportunity to serve one another is a call we all must

answer. so tonight, i encourage all virginians to continue to give back, help out, and work together. tonight, i have laid out some of my priorities for the year ahead of us. four years from tonight we will meet here again and look back on our time working together. this is what i hope we can say: that we had the foresight and the courage to invest in virginia's future when times were tough. we helped create tens of thousands of new jobs, reduced our unemployment rate, expanded our tax base, and led the nation in job creation and economic development. we embraced educational reform and didn't let old traditions and the status quo stand in the way of expanding opportunity for all children. we put virginia in the vanguard of the national charter school movement, rewarded our best teachers, put more money into the classroom, and expanded opportunities in the fields of

science, technology, engineering, math and health care. we put virginia on a track to become a leader in higher education and made a college education affordable and accessible to all motivated young people. we vigorously defended the constitutional rights of our people to life, liberty and property. [ applause ] we seized the opportunities presented to us by our vast natural resources and made virginia the "energy capital of the east coast." through prioritization, bonding, technology, public-private partnerships, and ingenuity we built new roads and bridges, expanded rail, improved our port and helped virginians get to work a little quicker. we ensured the safety of our citizens and the security of our businesses and communities by investing in public safety. and we made government more cost effective, user-friendly, simpler and easier to navigate

for our citizens. our founders created this nation with courage, pledging their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. several lost their lives, most lost their fortunes. but none lost their sacred honor. we today, 234 years later, should pledge our best effort to build a stronger virginia, by focusing on results and not credit, cooperation and not division. i ask for your partnership, your ideas, your talents and your hard-work in the weeks and years ahead. god bless you and your families for serving the people of virginia. and god bless the commonwealth of virginia.

thank you. [cheers and applause] >> in washington, the u.s. house returns for business today. first up monching hour speeches. just over 15 minutes at 12:30 p.m. eastern with legislative work starting at 2:00. 10 bills to be considered today. including one honoring catholic scooms any requested votes will be postponed until 6:30 this evening. tomorrow we expect a measure allowing charitable donations to haiti relief to be written off 2009 taxes. much live house coverage when they gavel in here on c-span.

underway now syndicated columnist charles crauthimer is talking about -- charles krauthammer is on c-span 2. and robert gibbs has a briefing today scheduled for 1:30. that also will be on c-span2. did you know that one of the top free news apps for our iphone or itouch is c-span radio. now you can get quick and easy access to three streaming channels. there's also a tap with links to our podcasts including q and a and afterwards, and it's all free and available from the aps store -- apps store. associated press reporting that voters are thronging to the polls in massachusetts, today special election today. we got a preview this morning on "washington journal." al reporter for "the boston globe." appreciate your time. now we turn to you. the impact of the special

election. texas, fred on the democratic line. caller: good morning. i want to talk to the democrats in massachusetts about what happened in 2002 and how it ties to today. if you recall, released september of 2002, a propaganda blitz by the republican party began to invade iraq. remember that? only a month later, the congress of the united states voted to allow president bush to invade and occupy iraq. we now are in a second phase of the gop propaganda blitz, and it is even worse this time. this time the folks in massachusetts are the target.

i'm a texan, i'm a democrat from texas, a state where we don't have a single democratic statewide official, which is directly opposite massachusetts. if you vote against the democratic candidate today, you will be joining the republicans in their attempt to bring down this obama administration and possibly even the united states government. host: open but the houston chronicle," home state paper has this front-page story -- "the houston chronicle."

would ips standly become two of the most powerful people on capitol hill. raleigh, north carolina n. jim on the republican line, good morning. caller: thank you. i would just have to counter fred's argument and say that perhaps this election is somewhat like the shot heard round the world. this is the first election where the american populous and voters are going to stand up and say no to the obama socialism machine. and i just watch with curiosity and i just hope that --for the democrats' sake they don't try to mangle some way to impugn this election or stall the installation of mr. brown if he gets elected because that will

only look worse on them in 2010. so i encourage all of the independent voters in the state of massachusetts to stand up for liberty and capitalism and say no. obviously they are, look at the poll numbers. voters of massachusetts aren't a bunch of slouches. they know what is going on. and they are obviously on the side of liberty and i commend them. i encourage them to vote for brown. host: did you contribute to state senator scott brown? caller: not financially. but i did sign up and do some volunteer phone calls. that was just what i could do. host: who approached -- what group approached you to do the volunteer phone calls? or did you reach out? caller: i reached out. host: when you made -- who did you call?

caller: just numbers of people up there in west virginia. -- what am i saying, massachusetts. host: what did you hear from the people you called? caller: well, you know how that goes. typical response as soon as i hear your southern accent they know that you're calling from out of state. they were very courteous and nice and said that we have got handle on it. we are watching what's going on. that's why i have faith -- the cradle of liberty up that way. host: one final question. do you know if the people that you called were republicans or mostly independents? caller: i didn't go for party identification. i was just happy that they listened to what i have to say. i just let -- left it at that. host: north hampton, massachusetts, jack, on the democratic line. are you going to vote for martha

coakley this morning? caller: yes, i am. i think every good democrat needs to get behind her and don't allow massachusetts to have a republican representative. in a ted kennedy seat. that's a travesty. host: why do you think that martha coakley lost the wide lead that she had coming into this race? caller: honestly this weekend i was pretty much all around the state and it just seemed like all you heard on the -- especially the radio, was nothing but scott brown ads. but scott brown adds. everything was him all weekend. and i think what helped it, too, was that we have -- three weeks ago she had a 40% side lead. so, nobody ever expected to say, i don't think, to ever go republican. i don't think nobody really in

massachusetts thought that scott brown had a chance. but i would like to say to the people of massachusetts, we put scott brown in and definitely you are telling people that we are giving away a woman's right to choose. everybody remember this in massachusetts when you are voting today that this vote is really important. and we need to keep the democrat in so we can get health care. host: here is the piece in of "usa today." it says -- but texas, james on independent line. good morning. caller: to start off with, i

dislike to state i don't like the republicans or the democrats any more. i am an old man and i remember back before we had all of this backbiting. but what i think about the massachusetts election is that this is a repudiation of the socialist communist agenda of barack obama and the democratic party. and i think it is a really good thing that america is waking up, that they are seeing through this because of the tyrannical dictatorships, the way that nancy pelosi and harry reid are trying to push through this against the will of the american people. but if mr. brown loses the election, jamming down health care down the throats of the american people is nothing compared to what they are going to do. they will find some crisis, some way that they will continue to keep the power and before we

know it we will have a hammer and sickle for a flag over the white house. host: on the republican line, joining us from san francisco. caller: good morning. it is a wonderful morning when we can have massachusetts, a historical state, help us, the american people to fight back what we see here. we have been so betrayed, we feel. the nation is in a mess. we all know what happened when we went into this financial crisis. we know that president clinton put out a lot -- that he change what existed in the banking system. and there he put in larry summers to deregulate everything. that is when our country's banks started -- started to go down because they were forced to give loans. that is the man you had on yesterday, indicated, a banking representative, that he was pressured to giving these loans.

we now know barney frank participated in this. we saw it on television. so, we think that kind of betrayal, when we keep hearing everything was president bush was to blame -- we know there is no change. there is corruption in our government, and we need massachusetts, the people who gave us the boston tea party, the people who are standing up for themselves, we need them to vote to the correct way, to get rid and change the people who are in there and of the next group of dust the same thing, we will change them. we thank you the run much for the show. host: the caller mentioned the boston tea party. in a "of the houston chronicle" peiece, they note this is where the boston tea party took place. now the new generation of tea party patriots hope to dump

candidates to raise taxes and increased federal spending. again, a big symbolic thing. that is "of the houston chronicle -- "the houston chronicle." conn, moses on the democratic line caller: i'm wondering if the so-called tea party -- care so much about this the responsibility, where were they when the republicans and george bush jammed down our throats the afghanistan and the iraqi war. that we don't need. that has cost us a dollar trillion. that my children -- caused as $1 trillion, that my children and grandchildren have to pay for. president, president obama came to power or. the republicans, the publicly declared that they want to see this president failed. they said they want to derail health care. i'm wondering where america

people -- did they forget -- host: phyllis from boston. much coveted it independent. caller: i am certainly voting for scott brown. we have to do this as unenr olled, as the college, and i believe this will be the shot heard around the world one more time for massachusetts. i am so proud to be from massachusetts because we have been an laughingstock which the amount of democrats that we have brought to congress and to our own legislature. it is about time we stand up and we say, we don't want it to be a kennedy seeks, as mr. brown has said over and over again, this is the people's seat. and because we have been taking for granted for so many years in this state, i believe that

finally the people have said, enough of this. we need to go forward. and if forward means we have to change -- and that it that terminology because both our governor and the president ran on it and both have failed this state, our common wealth, and the country miserably. please, if you are unenrolled, or whatever denomination of voter, please go out and vote and make sure massachusetts one more time leads the country. host: 10 i ask you, have you voted for republicans in the past -- can i ask you question caller: i am proud to say i am old enough to have voted for ed brook once and passed and i am prompted what one more time. host: since then have you voted democrat? caller: i really go for a person

that is why i'm unenrolled. host: did you vote for kennedy? caller: i honestly, no. i voted for his brother. he did a lot for a state. i really had a division with his politics for many, many years. i, again, thank the kennedy family for their service but i think at this juncture we got to go in a new direction. we have been the laughingstock for the country to many times, they take a map that we as a democratic, which we are, and we get stepped on. and i think finally the voters of massachusetts can make a loud, clear statement, not just here but in our country. and i urge everyone. i'm an older woman. it is snowing. i hate walking out and there but if i have to crawl to the polls, i'm going to vote for scott brown and urge everyone

listening from massachusetts to please do the same. host: can i ask what the weather is like? caller: snow showers, which, to us, after a bad ice storm yesterday, really will not be that much of an impact. it might hurt the older sister -- citizens. i am included in this category. but i really do feel we have to make a statement and i do believe the voters will come out. there are predictions it will be a heavy vote, a large turnout. and i hope that is the case. it is really a statement of what has gone on in our country. i am only a second generation from one side of my parents, for a generation on the other side, and i was taught to love this country. i still get lumps in my throat when i hear the national anthem. >> we'll leave this recorded program now as the u.s. house is

about to gavel in. first up this morning is morning hour speeches. legislative work getting underway at 2:00 p.m. eastern. 10 bills to be considered. including one honoring catholic schools. any requested votes postponed until 6:po this evening. tomorrow the house we expect a measure allowing charitable donations to haiti relief to be written off in 2009 taxes. now live coverage here on c-span. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., january 19, 2010.

i hereby appoint the honorable rick larsen to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of january 6, 2009, the chair will recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to 30 minutes and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly, for five minutes. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i've met many strong and courageous women in my lifetime both here and abroad. but i rise to recognize mariano stan stpwhrmbings a, a woman from 10's nia. she -- from tanzania.

i rise to highlight an ongoing but little known crime against humanity in east africa where heebs with albanism where they're butchered and their bodies sold. rural villages harvest the lungs because a single limb can sell for as much as $10,000, a king's ransom in rural tanzania. she is one of the few survivors from these horrific attacks. she told me her story through an interpreter when we met recently. one night in october, 2008, when she was asleep with her toddler, a group of machete wielding men in her village broke into her home and attacked her.

they cut off both of her arm where she screamed and shielded her young son from the blows. it was six long hours after the attack before she, five months pregnant, was able to receive medical treatment. in the end she also lost her unborn child. but she survived and she's now relaying her story here in america in the hopes that these brutal crimes against people with ahbanism will come to an end. she came to the united states thanks to my constituents in virginia who has albanism. she was fitted with prosthetic arms donated by the prosthetic center in fairfax, virginia, and underwent intensive therapy. she's a rare survivor of a horrible and inhumane crime that is growing in africa. more than 55 people have been butchered in the region, most of them women and children. a 6-year-old girl was shot dead

in -- close to the border with tanzania. her attackers removed her head and limbs, leaving only her dismembered torso. in january of 2009, three men armed with machetes killed an 8-year-old boy and smuggled his limbs into tanzania. every one of these stories border on the unbelievable and frankly turn my stomach, as i hope do they yours. the people are at higher risk for medical complications from their conditions. in east africa, for example, skin cancer is very prevalent. but oftentimes people with albanism will have little protection as they must be outside to work, go to school or tend to everyday business. unfortunately, the medical issues that people with albanism face are the least of their worries in rural east africa. the threat of brutal violence

is over them. they have condemned these violent crimes against people with albanism but this story has moved me to take action. i'm contacting president obama and the state department and urge them to place diplomatic pressure on tanzania, to end these crimes against humanity and to dispel this myth that body parts of those with al bambings anism have any supernatural -- albanism have any supernatural strength. to this end i plan to introduce a house resolution recognizing the plight of people with albanism in east africa and advocating remedies to bring an end to this heinous and misguided behavior. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from arizona, ms.

kirkpatrick, for five minutes. ms. kirkpatrick: mr. speaker, our national debt is setting new records each week, and washington cannot ignore it any longer. unless we take action, the debt could bring our recovery to a standstill and raise interest rates for our families. allowing excessive spending to continue is not an option. in 2010 we must draw the line and put fiscal discipline at the top of our agenda. this congress should develop and execute a plan to start paying down the debt and ensure sustainable spending levels for the long term. we can and should continue smart investments that create jobs, develop our critical infrastructure and help new

industries grow. but at the same time we have to start cutting waste and demanding efficiency. government programs should be actively searching for ways to do more with less. and if they won't, congress has to step up and do it for them. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until 2:00 p.m. today. >> members are taking a break now before returning at 2:00 p.m. eastern for legislative work. 10 bills to be considered. including one honoring catholic schools. any requested votes will be postponed until 6:30 this evening. also tomorrow we expect a measure allowing charitable

donations to haiti relief to be written off 2009 taxes. more live house coverage when they come back at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. we are hoping to take you shortly to today's state department briefing. it's scheduled to get underway just about now. we'll have live coverage when that starts. in the meantime a briefing from earlier today. the deputy commander of the joint task force heading up earthquake relief efforts in haiti spoke to reporters at the pentagon earlier by video conference. we'll show you what we can until today's state department briefing starts. >> general, allen, colonel dave at the pentagon. how do you hear me? >> i've got you readable.

>> same here. i hope our tech will continue to work on it as we go through. if you are ready to go i'll kick it off from this end. >> i'm ready when you are. >> again our briefer this morning is army major general daniel b. allen, spelled a-l-l-y-n. he currently is the deputy commander of joint task force unified response. and previous to assuming this position down in haiti, he was the deputy commanding general for the 18th airborne corps at fort bragg. general, over to you for any opening comments you'd like to make. >> thanks a lot. good morning, ladies and gentlemen. thanks for the opportunity to join you today and update you on

efforts underway by the international community here in haiti. i know you join me in extending our condolences to the haitian people. our hearts and/or prayers continue to be with -- and our prayers continue to be with haiti citizens during this tragic time. all of us here in haiti and across the globe partnered in this recovery effort share an uncommon passion and commitment to do all we can to help the government of haiti and the haitian people recover from this tragedy. we are employing all of our resources as fast as we can, and we continue to make progress here every day. we do not underestimate the scope of the challenge in front of us. we are here at the request of the government of haiti and we are working in partnership with the united nations and the international community. we enjoy incredible teamwork and

support with and for all contributing parties and the people of haiti. as i have stated, we are making progress daily and building our capacity to deliver more each day to those most in need. key developments today and on the immediate horizon, the 22nd marine expeditionary unit from lamp lejeune, north carolina, has arrived and will move about 800 marines ashore beginning to today to support communities west of port-au-prince that gravely need assistance. the second brigade combat team of the 82nd airborne division, nearly 1,000 strong, continue to flow into country to support relief efforts in the have a sinity of port-au-prince. -- vain sit of port-au-prince. the hospital ship united states naval ship comfort will arrive offshore tomorrow morning

increasing medical support available to the people of haiti. in addition, yesterday afternoon united states air force c-17 aircraft flew nonstop from pope air force base, north carolina, and delivered nearly 15,000 meals and over 15,000 leaders of water to citizens -- litters of water to citizens in port-au-prince. this area of delivery augments our ongoing relief efforts and continues to extend our reach to the stricken. we currently have over 2,000 boots on the ground and over 5,000 afloat and we anticipate we'll have an aggregate strength of over 10,000 within the coming weeks with about 50% of those forces directly involved in delivering humanitarian assistance ashore. as of this morning, in support of humanitarian assistance

efforts, we have delivered over 400,000 bottles of water and 300,000 rations to the people of haiti in the past six days. within the next several days we'll have more than a dozen water purification units producing water for humanitarian assistance needs across haiti. for distribution and support of humanitarian assistance efforts. within days we'll approach a self-sustaining water production capacity. additionally, in south central haiti we delivered approximately 4,000 pounds of food and water by air to the stricken community . joint task force haiti provided helicopter support to usaid and the world food program to

complete this critical distribution. the security situation here in haiti remains relatively calm. distribution points remain orderly throughout our humanitarian assistance efforts, and feedback from the people of haiti has been positive. the u.s. security forces continue to address the emerging security requirements with great agillity and responsiveness. the general is aggressively deploying his forces to maintain the secure environment that enables us to continue our primary focus on humanitarian assistance distribution. medical relief capacity continues to grow with the arrival of several international field hospitals and surgical teams. currently portable hospitals from five nations are supporting our efforts on the ground in the port-au-prince area. our medical capability will

continue to expand with the arrival of the hospital ship comfort. overall we are making steady progress. we have a lot more work ahead of us. with an international and interagency team that gets stronger every day. thanks for the opportunity to provide opening updates date and i welcome your questions. >> general, associated press. could you explain to us why it took almost a week to organize the c-17 airdrop that you mentioned that took place yesterday? do you have anymore airdrops planned? why didn't they do this sooner? >> obviously the aerial delivery of supplies is the capability that has been part of our arsenal from the outset. the fact is that it takes forces on the ground to secure the

areas where these drops must go in. and to organize the people to avoid a chaotic distribution when those supplies come in. and we needed to wait until we had adequate forces to enable that to happen. and with that capacity building every day, we will continue to use this and every other means available to us to increase the reach of our efforts to the people of haiti. >> general, tom bowman with npr. people who are familiar with the logistics say to me since you have a single runway at port-au-prince airport it would make sense to create an n improved runway. they say you can do that with heavy equipment. create a third strip. and you could start moving in more c-130's because they can land in just about anything. is there any thought being given to creating that unimproved runway at haiti?

>> there are several existing runways that are being assessed and those that are immediately capable are being integrated into the airflow plan. we will begin to use two alternate aerial ports of entry within the next 24 to 48 hours to relieve some of the pressure on port-au-prince. and as you know, you have been following this situation, the team of air force units and supporting units have been doing herculean work, extraordinary work at port-au-prince. we have increased to over 200 sorties a day from a capacity that on an average day pre-earthquake was 13 commercial aircraft into port-au-prince

airport. an extraordinary amount of work. it will remain critical to us at the port-au-prince airfield. we are getting a lot of great help from a lot of supporters to enable us to continue to increase the through put coming into haiti as well as our ability to contribute it to the areas most in need outside the nerve centers. >> no thought is being given to a second improved runway port-au-prince. can you say where these other air fields are? >> the first runway in the haiti proper will go into operation in the vicinity of jacquesnel. within the next 24 hours i mentioned the rotor wing insertion went into that yesterday delivering food and supplies that enabled us to also do the airfield assessment

that's critical and we will continue to use that airfield for c-130 deliveries primarily initially supporting the buildup of the canadian humanitarian assistance efforts that will be centered there. and also integrating the aid necessary to the international communities to continue to deliver food and emergency supplies to the people in the southern provinces of haiti. the other aerial port of entry that is being brought into service to enable overland delivery of supplies to haiti is santa sedro in the dominican republic so we are obviously very conscious of the need to have multiple ports of entry.

we are also close to additional operating capability in the ports of port-au-prince and south port, and doing assessments of the other ports to rapidly support joint logistics brought from a float to a shore. >> general, justin from fox news. i have two quick questions. we are thold there are no plans to do another c-17 drop today f that was successful yesterday, why not do it again today? is there still active search for american survivors? where do you believe they are and how many do you believe are still out there? >> the first question in terms of the c-17 drop, obviously the commander's assessment of the needs on the ground and where his forces need to be are a

component of determining where subsequent deliveries will happen. with the surge in delivery of elements of the 82nd airborne division overnight, we were surging resources to move them to their distribution points. and our intent is within the next 24 hours to conduct future aerial delivery of supplies to those priority locations identified by the government of haiti and the international relief effort. >> on the americans? >> yes, usaid is obviously heading up the search and rescue effort. we fully expect that we will transition very soon from the search phase to the recovery phase.

and obviously we have continued to be in prayer but at a week after the initiation of the earthquake, we have not found any survivors in the last two days. so we are doubtful that we will be fortunate, but obviously we remain in prayer and hopeful. >> general, cbs news. you said the second brigade combat team is in, 81,000 strong. the original timeline had the entire brigade being in haiti by this weekend. so what is holding up the deployment of the full brigade? if you have been air dropping supply, why can't you airdrop the troops themselves? >> that's a great question.

obviously the delivery of capability here in haiti is a balancing act that requires troops on the ground to distribute humanitarian assistance. the supplies for them to distribute and the mobility necessary for them to be able to reach the communities that are most stricken. and quite frankly the earthquake did not take into account the location of drop zones when it achieved the effects that it did. and if we were to airdrop the 82nd, we then have other challenges inherent in that and our focus becomes distribution of them from their disbursted locations to where they need to help. suffice to say that in the ground commander's view, we are

using the best method possible to get the most forces on the ground as quickly as possible. the insertion of the marine expeditionary unit demonstrates one of those examples where they will reach areas we have been unable to get to yet. and we expect the last load of second brigade combat team to land here within the next 36 hours. and the adjustment in that airflow was in order to get higher priority capability on the ground so that when those troopers arrived they would be fully capable of disbursing the critical supplies needed. our capability is building daily and we are making significant progress. >> the "christian science monitor," just how do you

characterize the mission of the forces on the ground? humanitarian assistance, but you said generally orderly now. where are your concerns about where that could potentially break down and where that humanitarian assistance position might have to change? >> obviously as in any military operation, security is inherent and it's the foundation of your ability to do anything, but particularly when you are trying to reach people that are stricken by this earthquake. the united nations as you know have the need for security here in haiti. they have been here for over five years. they have been doing extraordinary work in restoring stability and security to the people of haiti and to the government of haiti. and they are working very, very

agiley and responsibly to meet those needs as they emerge. in addition it's obviously necessary for the security forces of the government of haiti, the haitian national police to increase their capacity. the day after the earthquake there were only 500 haitian national police available to address the needs based on the destruction and tragedy that hit. as of last night there were 2,000 haitian national police on the job, courageously working within their communities to ensure a secure and stable environment for the ongoing recovery efforts. obviously we are watching for signs of instability. at present there are pockets and areas of haiti and the u.n.

security forces are working with the haitian national police to address those pockets as they arise. and they have been able to effectively deal with them and we are confident they will continue to do so. >> what are the ingredients that create those pockets of instability? what is it exactly that you see that makes that occur? >> obviously we have people that need food, need water, need life sustaining support, and in some cases the instability that occurs is generated by that challenge. some of the activity is criminal in nature. you are quite aware that the

prisons here were destroyed by the earthquake and those prisoners are now in the populous and obviously we are working with the government of haiti to ensure that we retain order and we don't allow security to degrade and affect our ability to get emergency relief to the people of haiti. >> the "wall street journal." two quick questions, both followups. i mentioned in your opening comments the marines were scheduled to go on shore today. we heard supports instead of a beachhead this morning. can you tell whether that's begun already? secondly follow-up on justin's questions about when do you transition from search and rescue to recovery and rebuilding, you mentioned no americans in the last two days. haitians are being pulled out. again it's a usaid thing, not

your lane, can you inform us on any discussion you are having when that transition happens, obviously we are a week in now. hopes are declining every day. there are risk of bodies and diseases. when did that transition begin particularly regarding search and rescue for haitians, thank you? >> in response to your first question, yes. the insertion of marine forces ashore began this morning. bhaced on their coordination with -- based on their coordination was the united nations forces in that area they will expand their support to ongoing relief efforts. and we expect within 24 to 48 hours the 800 marines that are available to go ashore will be